


Daisy's Cozy Coffeeshop

by colaismywater



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-28
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2019-07-03 16:37:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15822792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colaismywater/pseuds/colaismywater
Summary: I asked my fellow Philindians (yes, I am going to make this name a thing) on Tumblr for Philinda prompts, because I wanted to write a Philinda fic, but had no inspiration.And the lovely agentmmayy suggested: Can I prompt a fluffy first meeting? Maybe Phil has a coffee shop (that serves tea obv)(Btw, I just quoted the prompt part of her message, I hope you don't mind.)So, this what came out of it. My first Philinda AU!Melinda is in desperate need for a cup of tea, but can't find a coffee shop that serves tea.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not a native speaker, and this work is not beta'd. So if you find any mistakes, please tell me. And yes, I noticed that Coffeeshop isn't written like that in English. But maybe it's okay, if it's part of the name? Hopefully?

Tea. Melinda needed tea. No, Melinda craved tea. After several hours of shopping with her mother, she needed something to stop the urge of smashing her head against the nearest wall. Usually, that was tea. But today, finding a cup of tea seemed like an impossible task.

Every coffee shop she entered, was either crowded or didn't serve tea. "Stupid coffee hipsters", she thought and her level of frustration reached a new peak.

Mrs. May had invited her daughter to "catch up" over lunch. Melinda should have known better, should have been more suspicious, but due to stress of moving and her new job, she had simply been too tired to think/care about her mother's hidden motives. And that was exactly what Lian May had been counting on.

Over lunch, she lectured her daughter about simply everything. Melinda's non-existent love life, her new job as head of security ("do you really think you will meet your future husband there?") and the fact that Melinda still hasn't produced any grandchildren.

After an hour of constant complaining and the restaurant's refusal of serving something harder than wine before 6 p.m., Lian May had forced her daughter into a shopping spree.

"You need some clothes that aren't black, Qiaolian."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do." Melinda knew better than arguing with her mother. She would have to suck it up and pray for time to run faster.

So there she was, in desperate need for a calming cup of tea, carrying paper bags full with obnoxious clothing. One of them had even sundresses in it! Sundresses. Dresses as in plural. 

Melinda sighed and continued her way home. After turning another corner, she suddenly stood in front of a coffeeshop. Daisy's Cozy Coffeeshop to be exact. And even better: it seemed to be blissfully empty. Melinda thanked every possible deity that finally showed her mercy and entered the shop.

Behind the counter sat a young girl maybe nine or ten years old, that sat up straighter when a bell announced Melinda's entrance.

"Welcome to Daisy's Cozy Coffeeshop! I'm Daisy, the owner. You know, because taxes and stuff", the little girl smiled.

"Daisy...", a male voice came from a room behind the counter.

Daisy took a look over her shoulder and smiled even more. Melinda would have called that smile almost mischievous.

"So, what can I do for you?"

Melinda quickly checked the signs, but couldn't find any hint of tea. "Do you sell tea?"

"No", Daisy said with an eye roll and an excessive gesture towards big jars filled with tea leaves, "we only display it, so that customers see what they can't have."

"Daisy!", the voice from the backroom sounded a bit more stern now.

While Daisy threw a look over her shoulder again, Melinda sighed slightly annoyed. The sudden noise made the girl twist her head and she looked straight into Melinda's eyes. The older woman looked back and seconds later a stare-off between a grown-up woman and a little girl began. None of them was backing off and surprisingly they were equally stubborn. 

It was Melinda who spoke first, "Maybe I should leave then."

"If you do, you're not worthy of our tea", Daisy eyed her expectantly, never breaking eye contact.

"Daisy Coulson! That's enough. Take a seat and do your homework." A man had appeared behind the girl and crossed his arms. And what a nice pair of arms he had.

"But dad... You said you had some frosting to do!" It seemed like Daisy tried her best to bat her lashes at him.

"I also told you to take the customers' orders and not to scare them off." He obviously tried to look stern when he said it, but his eyes crinkled at the corners.

"But..."

"Homework. Now."

Melinda watched the exchange between the two and noticed that Daisy tried to stare her father down, just like she had tried with Melinda a couple of minutes ago. When her father raised an eyebrow, the girl acknowledged her defeat and hopped off of the barstool she had been sitting on. The whole situation was rather amusing and Melinda had a hard time while suppressing a smile.

Watching his daughter retreat to the backroom, the man turned around and looked at Melinda. 

"I'm sorry, she's quite a handful", his smile was apologetic.

"I can imagine that." The man's eyes crinkled even more when he actually smiled. It was a great smile, very bright and almost boyish. Melinda couldn't stop herself from blushing at that thought. Luckily, the man didn't seem to notice.

"Sooo...tea?"

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she nodded.

"Great! We can do that. We only have homemade blents, any specific taste you prefer? Sweet, fruity, bitter, sour?"

"Sour? ...Uhm, do you have a simple green tea?"

"No, sadly not. But I have a lovely green tea with lemon gras. Don't worry, you will like it... I mean... I hope you will", shrugging, the man let his shoulders fall and gave her another sweet smile, while his cheeks turned a bit more pink than before.

"Okay, I will give it a try then", the man's head shot up and when Melinda thought his smile couldn't get any brighter, she was proved wrong.

"Great! To go or do you want to drink it here?"

"Here is fine."

"Great! Uhm... Great. Do you want a pastry too? We have cupcakes, croissants, pie, cake, meringue, chocolate chip cookies...", he started rambling, but when he noticed Melinda looking at him with her mouth agape, he stopped himself. "Sorry."

Now it was Melinda's turn to smile at him. He was cute.

"What kinds of pie do you have?"

"Today we have apple, pecan and rhubarb pie."

"Rhubarb?"

"Yes! It's lovely. I make it with a meringue like crust, who's sweetness accompanies the sourness of the rhubarb just perfectly."

"Sounds good."

"Great... So what's your name?" Melinda raised her eyebrows and when he noticed that, he stumbled over his next words. "I mean, so that I know who it's for."

"I'm the only one here."

"Oh, right... Uhm", Melinda could see a blush creeping up his neck, "I'm sor-"

"Melinda."

"What?"

"Melinda. My name is Melinda."

"Oh. Melinda... Hi! I'm Phil. Phil Coulson. Just that we are even, you know?" Phil's blush deepened.

And Melinda's smile widened.

"Why don't you grab a seat while I fix your order?"

"Sounds... Great", while turning around, she threw a look over her shoulder and smirked at him. 

Phil, mouth slightly ajar and face redder than his Red Velvet cupcakes, turned around as well, only to find his daughter behind him, throwing him a knowing look.


	2. Daisy's Cozy Coffeeshop - Interlude #1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little interlude. Melinda's and Phil's first meeting in Phil's POV.
> 
> I had to write this, I'm sorry. XD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know the drill, I'm not a native speaker, this work is not beta'd, if you find mistakes, please tell me.

She was doing it again, wasn't she? Phil sighed and tried to listen to his daughter's encounter with the new customer more intently. Daisy tended to scare off customers, especially those whom she declared as stupid during their first meeting.

Having a highly intelligent daughter was a blessing and Phil wouldn't change a single thing about his daughter, but knowing that she is smarter than most people made Daisy a bit... bold. Okay, to be honest, being his daughter made her bold. Phil knew that. It even made him a bit proud. But at the moment, she was costing him money.

"Do you sell tea?" Oh, no. Wrong question.

"No, we only display it, so that customers see what they can't have", Phil could hear the sarcasm oozing out of Daisy's every word.

So he put on a serious face and looked at his child, "Daisy."

His Angel Eyes threw a look over her shoulder into the backroom and gave him a mischievous smile. How was it possible for something that cute to be that evil? Phil had no idea.

While remembering the good old days, when Daisy was little and didn't speak a word except "Dada", Phil noticed the silence. Silence was never a good sign. Did the customer leave? He hadn't heard the bell. Looking up from icing his apricot cupcakes, he listened carefully.

"Maybe I should leave then." 

Thank God, the customer was still there. He had to admit, that woman had stamina.

"If you do, you're not worthy of our tea."

Dropping his decorating bag, Phil practically jumped into the coffee shop‘s salesroom.

"Daisy Coulson! That's enough. Take a seat and do your homework", Phil tried to make the strictest face he could. Of course his Angel Eyes tried to argue. She always did. But he wasn't backing off, not today. Even if she was throwing him her best puppy eyes. Finally, Daisy accepted her defeat and retreated to the backroom. Very proud of himself, Phil turned to face the customer.

"I'm sorry, she's quite a handful." He tried to combine a reconciling smile with an apologetic one. When he searched for eye contact with the customer, his heart stopped. The woman in front of him was breathtaking. Dark hair falling over her shoulder like the most expensive silk, dark eyes in which he could get lost in, and a mouth... A mouth that almost screamed "kiss me, Phil, kiss me".

Trying to maintain his cool and not to drool on the floor, Phil smiled. They fell into a silence and he had a hard time remembering why any of them was here. On this planet, in this coffee shop, right in front of each other. Coffee shop... He owned a coffee shop... But she didn't want coffee right? ... Tea! She wanted tea!

"Sooo... Tea?" Great, Phil. You can't even form a real sentence. Just great.

Still lost in his thoughts, he almost missed he nod.

"Great! We can do that. We only have homemade blents, any specific taste you prefer? Sweet, fruity, bitter, sour?"

"Sour?", the woman frowned, "uhm, do you have a simple green tea?"

No, he didn't. Nothing was simple in Phil's life right now. He suggested his homemade green tea with lemongras to her and was more than happy when she accepted.

"Great! To go or do you want to drink it here?"

"Here is fine." She sounded chilly, but Phil's guts told him that she was everything but chilly. Huh, interesting. He wanted to know more. He wanted to get to know her better. Maybe he could get her interested in one of her pastries.

"Great!", did he just say great again? Damn. Place a beautiful woman in his shop and Phil was too flustered to remember his own name. 

Wait. What was going on? Was he still talking? Abort, abort, abort! The woman stared at him like he was crazy. Well, he was, but he didn't want her to know that already.

"Sorry."

And then something magical happened. She smiled. Not a small smirk like before, but a real smile. Something in his chest fluttered. Like butterflies. Goddamn butterflies. He hadn't felt something like that in...years.

She picked rhubarb pie. Phil's favourite.

"Great", again? Seriously? Focus, Phil! "So, what's your name? I mean, so that I know who it's for." Stuttering now, really? Good talk, Phil. Good talk.

"I'm the only one here."

"Oh, right..." Where were Maria and the grumpy guy with the eyepatch when he needed them? She was frowning again. He didn't like that frown. No, that wasn't true. He liked the frown. It was sexy. "Uhm... I'm sor-"

"Melinda."

"What?", he hadn't realized she was talking again.

"Melinda. My name is Melinda."

Melinda. What a beautiful name. "Oh. Melinda... Hi! I'm Phil. Phil Coulson. Just that we are even, you know?" Was he blushing? His neck felt hot. Either he was blushing or he was fainting. He hoped for the latter. Wait... Did her smile just widen? 

"Why don't you grab a seat while I fix your order?"

"Sounds... Great." She put an emphasis on the last word and damn, that smirk of hers was life-threatening. No. It was heart-threatening. When he turned around, while Melinda chose a seat, he noticed Daisy standing behind him. 

She raised an eyebrow and spoke up, "I called Maria."

Oh, damn. He was in trouble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it!


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Strike Team Theta joins the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, I finished this chapter days ago, but I couldn't find the time to type it down, because the last days at work had been hell. I'm sorry about that.
> 
> If you find any mistakes, grammar and phrasing, please tell me.

Melinda had to admit, Daisy's Cozy Coffeeshop was indeed cozy. The salesroom was well-lit, but not blindingly bright. None of the furniture seemed to match and they all looked well-cared for, but worn out at the same time. She chose a small, but comfortable looking sofa with a flower pattern in the back of the shop. Through the window next to her, she could see a narrow path winding itself through some wild growing hedges. Melinda assumed that the path lead to a backyard. To be honest, it looked quite magical.

As she made herself comfortable and placed her shopping bags next to the small coffee table beside her, Melinda was startled by a sudden shriek.

"You did what?!"

She hadn't known that a man's voice could be that high-pitched. And it seemed like she wasn't the only one who was surprised by the sound.

Behind the counter, two heads turned simultaneously in her direction. While Phil's expression changed from shock to surprise to embarrassment within 3 seconds, Daisy's face was completely indifferent. Phil smiled at her shyly and then shooed his daughter into the backroom.

Melinda could hear their muffled voices and even if she couldn't understand them, it seemed like Phil was nervous about something.

Some minutes later, he reappeared with a plate of pie and fixed Melinda's tea. She couldn't help herself, Melinda had to watch him. Even though he seemed to be quite dorky and a bit clumsy with words, behind the counter of his shop, he was completely in his Element. He brewed her tea with an old fashioned tea strainer, cut her a piece of pie and placed it on a plate. When he was pleased with his work, he put everything on a tray and Melinda noticed him inhaling deeply before he made his way to her table.

"Hi again. I totally forgot to ask if you would like some ice cream to your pie? I mean, I wouldn't put it on top, because it would ruin the meringue crust, but if you put it beside it, and occasionally dip your pie into the ice cream, it would ... could be pretty good..."

While Phil was in full rambling mode, Melinda couldn't help but smile. He was cute while explaining the consistency of his meringue crust and totally lost in his explanation, that he didn't even notice her watching him.

As he finally noticed that he was still talking, he immediately stopped, flushed beet red and had an expression on his face that screamed "kill me now".

"I... I'm so sorry. I seriously have no idea why I'm unabled to shut up. It feels like normal people have some kind of limit or more like a barrier that stops them from making themselves complete idiots, but the more I think about it, I get the feeling that my barrier is totally broken or non-existent and oh my god, I'm rambling again and I can't stop, please punch me in the face. Fast. Hard. Show no mercy! Oh gawd."

An actual giggle escaped Melinda's mouth. A giggle. Out of Melinda May's mouth. Well, that was foreign. Even to her. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she looked up and saw Phil staring at her. His expression was taken aback, like he was seeing something he had never seen before. Then his expression turned into a small and honest smile. And suddenly, Melinda was overwhelmed with emotion. Another foreign feeling .

After Melinda was abled to regain her cool, she was finally abled to form an answer, "Ice cream sounds good, thank you."

Still mesmerized by their encounter, Phil nodded and retreated to the backroom. Seconds later, he returned with a metal container and put a scoop of vanilla ice cream next to her rhubarb pie.

"Thank you, Phil."

"You're welcome, Melinda."

As he turned around, Melinda tried to ignore the flutter in her chest when he said her name.

Eating her pie in a comfortable silence, she sometimes allowed herself to take some sidelong looks at Phil, while he continued to work, serving customers, helping Daisy with her homework, flexing his toned and well-defined arms... Yeah, no. Stopping now. She wasn't going there. Not at all.

Finally abled to focus on her tea and pie again, she noticed how good both of them were. All the things Phil rambled about were actually true. She almost didn't expect it. And then she heard it. Voices. Excited voices to be precise. Through the large windows close to the entrance, she could see two People practically racing each other to the door. When they both reached said door, they tried to enter at the same time. Of course, the door was too small for two people to fit through. It was almost like a slapstick comedy, watching two people stuck in a door frame and struggling to get out of it.

"Let go!", one of the two, a dark haired woman, yelled.

"No, you let go!" Her companion yelled back, while trying to press through the door again.

"Clint!"

"Ma-ri-a!" As the guy called Clint, parroted the woman, she used his moment of abstraction and slammed her fist into his groin. With Clint sinking to the floor, Maria was finally abled to free herself from the door.

"You punched me in the groin!"

"Not my fault. You were supposed to be a gentleman." A smug and satisfied look appeared in her face.

"I was. That's why I didn't punch you in the groin!" Clint got up from the floor and wiped imaginary dust off of his clothes.

While trying to stare each other down, they didn't seem to realized that every eye in the shop was on them. The sudden silence around them finally irritating the two, they moved their heads to look at their audience.

"What?!", Clint and Maria were completely in sync, wearing the same "what the fuck"- expression on their respective faces.

In this moment, Phil emerged from the backroom, carrying a tray of cupcakes and froze as he saw them.

"Phil!", still in sync, Maria and Clint opened their arms, and beamed at him. "Strike Team Theta reporting for duty!"

Phil, still frozen with his mouth agape, watched them saluting him nonchalantly.

"Oh god, no." With Phil's return to reality, Maria's facial expression became smug and Clint's smile turned into a goofy grin.

Melinda watched the interaction between the trio, who were obviously close friends, with sheer amusement. It appeared like Phil was still unsure what to do. Clint and Maria used the time to get comfortable, Clint took their jackets to the backroom, while Maria took the cupcake tray from Phil and placed it on the counter.

He crossed his arms and tried to make a stern face at her, which didn't seem to bother his friend at all, as she invaded his personal space more and more.

"Sooo..." Maria started.

"Nooo..."

"Sooo..."

"Maria, no."

"Maria, yes."

"This will probably be the only time l'll ever say this, but... Maria, yes", Clint, who was carrying Daisy piggy back-style out of the backroom, joined their vague conversation.

Phil's eyes switched from Maria to Clint and back, until his eyes finally landed on his daughter.

"This is all your fault."

"No, it's not", Daisy and Maria showed the same compliance, as Maria and Clint did before.

"Well, it kinda is", shocked by his betrayal, all heads turned to Clint. "Hey, I'm not saying that what she did was wrong, I'm just saying that my little rose here, kinda caused this situation. She did right by calling us."

"No, she didn't. You two being here is totally unnecessary, okay?"

Phil must have felt trapped like an animal. He had Melinda's full sympathy. Poor guy, but she had the impression, that he was more than capable of handling himself in this situation. His defensive stance was even a bit sexy. Not that Melinda would think about him like that, no. Because she absolutely didn't.

Their voices became more quietly, as Phil remembered where they were and that everyone was watching them. He let his eyes wander around the room and as he and Melinda locked eyes for a brief moment, he averted his fast and turned his whole attention to his little group.

But Melinda did see his ears turning a bit more pink than before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And? What do you think?
> 
> Feel free to ask, if you have any questions. ;)


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Maria and Phil talk, and Clint is completely oblivious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, that was a ride. I've been working on this chapter the whole day, and the first version was a lot more angstier and serious. I hope that I could make it a bit more light-hearted. But the little angst at the end was inevitable. I'm sorry. It won't go on like that. I don't like angst.
> 
> *spoiler*   
> Okay, maybe a tiny bit more angst will happen.  
> *spoiler end*

Phillip J. Coulson loved his friends. He truly did. They were more than friends. They were family. But that's the thing, right? You can choose friends, but not family. Yeah, Maria and Clint definitely were family. Nosy little siblings teaming up against him. He had to get them away from paying customers. Away from Melinda. Three pairs of eyes were watching him intently. He locked eyes with Maria and they had a wordless conversation.

"Clint, watch the shop. Daisy, do your homework", Maria used her instructor voice and Phil was glad about it. If someone could control Daisy and Clint, it was instructor Maria.

"Oh, man. C'mon!"

"Yeah, c'mon 'Ria!", both Daisy and Clint pulled their best pouty faces, but Maria just raised an eyebrow and had them trotting their respectful ways.

Phil used the time to escort Maria to the breakroom.

"So, PhilHill reunited again...", Phil rolled his eyes at the old nickname from another life and sighed.

"I really don't know why you two are here. Nothing happened."

"I wouldn't say 'nothing', Phil. Your baby daughter, and my godchild, called me in the middle of the day, a work day by the way, with a Code Red. And, I quote: Code Red with heart-eyes and everything! It's bad 'Ria, he's practically drooling, like when he's sleeping! So much drool!"

"Okay, first, we have to get some things straight", Phil huffed, "first, work day? The two of you probably sat in front of the PC watching some shitty show on Netflix-"

"Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries is not shit-", Phil just waved Maria off and continued.

"Second, I don't drool while sleeping, or while being awake."

"You kinda drool while sleeping, especially when you fall asleep while sitting-"

"No, I don't! And third, yeah, don't give me that look, it's the last point as well; there were no heart-eyes involved. At least, I didn't see any." Satisfied that he was abled to say, Phil leaned back in his chair and eyed his friend.

Maria scoffed, " Phil, you didn't see any heart-eyes, because it was you who had them. And now I want to hear everything. E-ver-y-thing. Tell me, Phil, who made you drool on the carpet?", Maria seriously had the courage to wiggle her eyebrows at him.

"Drool on the- , there isn't even carpet in the-, 'Ria! Honestly, nothing happened. A woman came in, Daisy gave her a hard time and I was being nice."

"A woman. Tell me about her."

"I don't know her?"

"But you want to?"

"Jeez, Maria. Why do you even bother?"

"Because your lovely Angel Eyes contacted me. With a Code heart-eyes", Phil only snorted, so Maria continued, "she doesn't do that a lot. Actually, it hasn't happened in years. Years, Phil. And if a woman is abled to make you heart-eyed, I want to know everything. It could be ... something. "

"It could also be a customer who thinks I'm a complete idiot, because I can't get a word out without embarrassing myself."

"You embarrassed yourself?" A small, amused smile appeared on Maria's face.

"I rambled. About crust. And ice cream."

"Of course you did." Phil was grateful that Maria at least tried to suppress her smile.

"I'm a mess. Ain't I?", groaning he buried himself in his arms. 

"Oh, yes. You are. But we love you."

"Yes, we dooooo!", Clint suddenly appeared next to Phil and pressed a sloppy kiss to his cheek.

"Clint! Why aren't you in the shop?"

"Hm?", Clint who tried to cuddle Phil from behind, didn't seem to he very alarmed by the question, "oh, I found someone more attractive to do it. A hot young brunette. I said, 'hey lovely, want a job? We brew coffee as hot as you, as dark and as mysterious as your eyes." He said all that, while hugging Phil from behind and dramatically batting his lashes at Maria.

"So, Elena started her shift?", Phil, easily freeing himself from Clint's death grip/hug, spoke up.

"Yeah, Elena started her shift."

A sudden noise startled the three friends, as Daisy rushed into the room. 

"Dad! You won't believe what Clint did!", the little girl seemed to be utterly shaken.

"Angel Eyes, calm down. Did he swipe his finger through the frosting again?"

"Or did he try to drink straight from the coffee maker again?"

"Or did he flirt with the canasta ladies again?"

"Or did he break something aga-"

"Hey, hey, hey! I didn't break anything in weeks! Uhm... At least not in the shop, really Daisy, I'm sorry 'bout that porcelain horse, I didn't -"

"What?! You broke Paul? I thought it was Bucky! I haven't stroked him in two days! Dad, we have to go to the store and buy him super duper apology food!"

"What kind of horse name is Paul?", Clint muttered while Maria suppressed a giggle. Daisy was definitely a bit odd. And Maria loved it.

"Great, Clint. Now I'll have to buy super expensive cat food in my free time. Great work." Phil shook his head, but he was happy that his daughter calmed down a bit.

"Honey, what was it, that you wanted to tell us?" Maria interrupted Daisy as she listed all the cat goods, she wanted to buy her brown tabby.

"Oh... Oh! Yes! He let her go! He let her go!" Daisy started jumping up and down exaggeratedly.

"He let whom go?"

"The oblivious tea lady!", adults could be so frustrating. Did these old people already forgot why they were here?

"The what?"

"Clint, oblivious means-"

"I know what that means, Maria!"

"Melinda?" With one word, everybody in the room got silent and turned to Phil, who looked completely flabbergasted.

"Dad, that's not even the worst part!"

"Hm? What's the worst part then, Dais'?

"What the hell are we even talking about?" If Clint was accused, he wanted to know at least why.

"The tea lady! The reason why I called Maria! The lady in black! Dad liked her!"

"Ooh, that one? She was scary. Intimidating even. I didn't want her to return, so I charged her too much. She was so scary... Wait, you liked her?" Clint wasn't only accused of a crime, he was guilty. Sentenced to death, if the look on Maria's face was any indication. 

"Melinda is gone?" Phil made a turn on his heel and run into the salesroom, startling Elena behind the counter. He scanned the room for Melinda. Grumpy eye-patch dude was in his corner, the old ladies playing canasta were at their usual table, Mack, Elena's boyfriend, was studying on a big table close to the window and some customers that Phil didn't know were munching their pastries. But no Melinda. His shoulders dropped.


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melinda goes to work and has a rough day at work. And I seriously have no idea how to describe this any better. Sorry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops? What happened? Well this happened. Twice in 24 hrs. I was motivated by your comments, actually. You guys are so great, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!
> 
> By the way, if this sucks, it's 3:49 in the morning, and I think that's a good excuse.

Two days later, Melinda found out that Daisy's Cozy Coffeeshop was close to her workplace. Her car broke down, so she had to take the train to work. After she left the train station and walked a couple of blocks, the streets became more familiar and suddenly she stood on the side of the street across from Daisy's. As she took in the sight of the building, the door next to the shop's door was yanked open. Both Daisy and Phil stormed out, looking completely disheveled. Daisy was still buttoning her flannel, while Phil was carrying a purple backpack, a Captain America lunchbox and ... a cat?

"Dad! I can't believe you overslept!"

"Me neither! I thought I set the alarm!", Phil was practically juggling the stuff he was carrying, while trying to lock the door.

"Dad! Bucky!", Daisy pointed at the cat, that meowed loudly under Phil's arm.

"Waaah!", Phil didn't only scare the cat, but also his daughter with his abrupt shriek. Melinda watched as Phil let everything in his arms, except the cat, fall to the ground. He took the young looking tabby back to the house and put it in gently, before he locked the door again.

"We are going to be late, dad! Miss Hand is going to be mad at us!"

"We are already, pumpkin. And Miss Hand is always mad at me. No idea why." 

They walked over to a beat up old Honda, as Daisy said, "she dislikes you, because she thinks you are hitting on her."

"What?! Why would she... The heart-shaped cupcakes?"

"The heart-shaped cupcakes."

"Oh."

Melinda couldn't hear anything else, because the two got in the car and drove off. She smiled. These two were adorable. Adorable? Really, Melinda? It was definitely time for work. Hard, energy-stealing work. Where nothing, absolutely nothing was adorable. As she walked, she realized how close the shop was to Stark Industries. Melinda just never noticed because she always entered the building from the parking lot on the other side. 

~~~

After several hours and meetings, with Mr. Stark's puns becoming less and less funny, Melinda was ready for a break. "Natasha, do me a favor and re-check the job applications for the night shift again. I would be more comfortable with your judgement, than with the candidates that Garrett chose", she told her second-in-command.

"What do I get for it, boss?", the red-head wiggled her eyebrows and send her boss a devilish grin.

"A cookie?"

"A cookie? I used to work for the KGB."

"I'll think of something else", Melinda made her way to the door, when she heard her colleague again.

"Where are you going?"

"Uhm, the coffee shop two blocks away?"

"Daisy's?"

"Yeah", was that a trap? Because Melinda felt kinda trapped.

"Neat. I decided that I want that cookie. The pecan-white chocolate, please. And if they don't have it, the almond-milk chocolate one, please!"

Melinda waved, but couldn't contain a snicker. She liked Natasha. She was hard-working, down to earth and didn't let Garrett get away with the bullshit he pulled. Garrett was a veteran at Stark's, and totally pissed by the fact that Melinda and Natasha were his superiors now. And he let them feel it. But Melinda didn't want to think about her subordinate, she wanted a break from all of this. And Daisy's was a good choice for that. And it was even closer than she thought, or she just walked faster than she thought. Nah. More than unlikely. The building probably moved closer to the Stark building, because it felt her need for relaxation. Yes, that sounded more plausible.

Accompanied by a common jingle, Melinda opened the door to the shop and entered. The shop was busier than the last time she came in and she recognized the brunet waitress from some days ago, balancing two trays with pastries out of the backroom. 

This time, it wasn't Daisy who sat behind the counter, but a young boy. Older than Daisy, but not much older.

"Welcome to Daisy's Cozy Coffeeshop! I'm Robbie. What can I get you today?" Melinda had to admit, compared to Daisy, the level of politeness definitely increased with Robbie.

"Hello Robbie, can I have a pot of your green tea with lemon grass, and... What pastry would you recommend?" 

After he scribbled down her drink order, Robbie looked up at the menu and back to Melinda. "Rough day?"

"You have no idea."

"I have a baby brother, who is 'literally' a baby. I think I can relive it." So the level of sass did increase with Robbie as well. Interesting.

"My bad. I used an overwrought phrase."

"You shall be forgiven. If your day is as rough as my nights, I would recommend Phil's SuperChoc chocolate cake. But only one piece. It's so chocolate-y, that you will vomit if you eat more than one piece."

"Sounds perfect."

"It is. I'll give Elena your order, please take a seat", Robbie got up and walked over to Elena who was working on the coffee maker and currently scolding someone Melinda couldn't make out.

As she was scanning the room for a free table, she heard the jingle of the door and turned around. Phil came in, carrying a baby with a mess of dark locks and was joined by a concerned looking woman.

"Sof', you know that I raised a child on my own, right? I'm pretty sure I can take care of your sons for some hours."

"I know Phil, but Gabriel has this diaper rash and-"

"And you want me to be super careful and to use the balm. Got it. Go and pick up your brother." Phil rolled his eyes at the woman, but it was a loving eye roll. Melinda could already tell. 

The woman kissed the baby and waved at Robbie before she left. Phil, who took the baby's small arm and waved after her, turned and stood right in front of Melinda. When he realized who was in front of him, his mouth fell open and he froze. The only thing moving was the baby on his arm, who grabbed and pulled at the collar of his shirt.

"You... You... You came back", stammered Phil, as he continued to stare at Melinda. 

"I did", Melinda smiled. He was adorable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I regret the name Daisy's Cozy Coffeeshop, it's such a mouthful. I'm thinking about shortening it to DCC, but I don't think fanboy Phil would want that in this Marvel fanfic.
> 
> (May I remind you that it's still close to 4 a.m.? If I sound crazier than usual, it's probably because of that. Hopefully.)
> 
> Nighty night. ;)


	6. Another interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Robbie's opinion of adults might be confirmed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was struggling so much with this story over the past weeks, and to be honest, I'm still struggling. I wrote this interlude, because I had no idea how to go on. But now I have some points to orientate on.
> 
> Big thanks to TheQueenInTheNorth and sunalso, who helped me with this chapter and my struggles and also hugs to Fierysky, who is such a sweetheart and damn supportive as well.
> 
> Thanks for listening to my shit!

If Robbie Reyes knew one thing, it would be that all adults were ridiculous. Take Phil for example, usually he was really collected and cooler than Daisy thought, but at the moment he was making an complete idiot out of himself. Robbie had no idea who this woman was, but watching their whole encounter was almost embarrassing. Stuttering, fumbling and with Gabe in his arms, who was sucking on a combination of his fist and Phil's shirt, Phil looked totally stupid.

But it didn't seem to bother the woman that much. She was still smiling. Well, at least a bit. She didn't seem to be the most smiley kind of person. 

"Robbie! What are you doing behind the counter?! Where is Hunter?", a voice behind him said. He knew that voice. Very well even. And he didn't like her tone.

"Not that it's any of your business what I'm doing, but Elena asked me to help, because she couldn't find him, Daisy." 

"It is my business! Literally even. It's called Daisy's Cozy Coffeeshop! It is totally my business!" She tried to look strong and strict, but which almost 11 year old would feel threatened by a 9 year old? So no need to say that Robbie was less than unimpressed.

"Pfff. Whatever, you little crumb." Robbie had mastered his eyeroll especially for Daisy. He had known her for too long. Way too long.

"Don't call me that! I hate that name!" Daisy's eyes were practically glowing. She tried to pierce through his skin with her glare. As usual.

"I know. That's why I said it... Crumb."

As Daisy made a move to jump at Robbie, she stopped abruptly, "What's going on over there?"

"Do you really think I'll fall for that, crum- Owww!" The little girl had used the oppurtunity to punch his upper arm while using her other hand to turn his face around.

"When did she come in? Robbie, tell me!" 

"Wha- Take your hands off of me!", for such a small kid, Daisy was surprisingly strong. Robbie even struggled a bit, while fighting her off.

"Shush! I don't want to interrupt them." Daisy now tried to put her hand above Robbie's mouth, but this time he was faster and held her hands down.

"Who is she anyways?" He couldn't remember seeing the woman, dressed all in black, before. 

"She is- She is- Shut up, Robbie!"

Rolling his eyes, the boy decided to join Daisy in watching her dad's encounter with the woman. After some back and forth, Phil seemed more nervous than before. And flustered. Robbie could only shake his head. Ridiculous.

"Who ordered the green tea with a piece of SuperChoc? Fake orders ain't funny guys!", came Elena's voice from the other side of the quite crowded shop. 

And that broke the bubble that had formed around Phil and the woman. They both turned around and looked at Elena. She looked annoyed. Robbie knew that wasn't good. For a college freshman, Elena could be quite scary. The woman turned back to Phil and said something. Phil, totally flabbergasted, listened and answered fast. Too fast.

"Did he just spit at her?!"

"Nonononono! Dad!" Daisy disappeared behind the counter so much that only her eyes and the top of her head were visible.

"Maybe it didn't hit her? It was just a light spray of spit-talking- ... Oh, oh. Did she just close her eyes? Oh, no, Phil...", Robbie suddenly felt the urge to hide behind the counter as well. 

They watched as Phil froze like a lizard in shock and the Woman turning around, walking over to Elena and an empty table.

"Please don't use the napkin, please don't use the napkin, please don't use the napkin...", Robbie never took Daisy for religious, but her words sounded like a prayer.

And Phil just stood there. Frozen. With only Gabe slightly moving in his arms.

"Did the boss just spit at a customer?", a voice behind the kids said.

They turned around to see Lance Hunter standing behind them, trying to dry his hair with a kitchen towel.

"Hunter! Why are you all wet-"

"Elena was searching for you-"

The younger kids started talking simultaneously, but stopped when they noticed the other one speaking. Hunter just took in their sight and shook his head.

"Well, not to spoil anything for you, but she found me", he said while gesturing at his wet clothes. "Now tell me what this was about" and pointed at Phil, who looked like he was finally coming back to reality. He still looked utterly shaken, but turned towards the counter and looked at the small group who had gathered there. 

He eyed every single one of them, intensely, till he yelled, "why is Hunter covered in milk?"


	7. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor Phil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so incredibly sorry. About everything. That it took me so long to write this and about this chapter. I'm leaving you hanging in there for a bit longer again. I hope you can enjoy this chapter. The energy is a bit different, but I hope that you will still like it.  
> I already know what I want to do in the next chapter, so I hope it will be easier to write than this one. xD

Chapter 5

Daisy, Robbie and Hunter all stared at Phil with wide eyes, while Gabe's drool was seeping through his shirt. "I repeat my words slowly, and, hopefully, clearly for everyone: Why. is. Hunter. covered. in. milk. ?"

Still nothing. Except staring. Until somebody squeezed past him.

"He deserved it", Elena was eyeing Hunter intensely, and had a mischievous smirk on her face, when she turned back towards Phil.

"Well, I figured out that much, but I was wondering if there was a more specific explanation. Deets, Elena, deets." Phil was slightly amused, even if it wasn't very appropriate as an employer. 

"That moron prefered flirting with Bobbi over working." Phil could have sworn that he literally saw daggers manifest in Elena's eyes and which clearly aimed at Hunter. Hunter himself only managed to gulp and smile apologetically.

Phil eyed his two part-time waiters for a second longer and sighed. His disastrous encounter with Melinda still fresh in his mind. "Okay, here's the plan: Elena, you ran around enough for now. You watch the counter, while Hunter does the footwork-" Hunter's formerly hung head leaped up at that, which made Phil add immediately: "and Daisy, tell Bobbi that she is allowed to punch him if he speaks more than 20 words with her from now on."

Hunter's shoulders immediately sank again. Just like the corners of his mouth.

"Got it, dad!" Daisy was about to run off, when Phil called her back.

"Afterwards, you and Robbie go upstairs and play." Phil looked both children up and down, and they didn't look too happy about his words. They probably had argued again before. "Peacefully. No Chains, no weapons, no handcuffs, no flamethrowers. No killing, no killing attempts, no hostages, no arson. Understood?"

Daisy looked shocked, while Robbie's expression only showed indifference. 

"Shall I call Trip over to mediate between you two, or can the two of you solve the problem without the help of an eight-year-old?"

Robbie and Daisy exchanged a look at that and nodded.

"No need to call Trip?"

Another nod. 

As they were about to take off into the direction of Bobbi's table, Phil spoke up again: "Wait, you two." The kids turned around expectantly ( they were obviously hoping for a loosening on the no hostages or no flamethrowers -rule) but Phil added dryly: "no beating, no biting, no hitting."

Both, Robbie and Daisy groaned at that, and trudged scowlingly towards Bobbi. 

Phil turned around until he heard Daisy mutter: "that's all your fault, idiot." Name calling and cursing. He knew something slipped his mind. Too bad.

He looked out for Elena and Hunter, but they were already back at work. Hunter probably just because Elena made him. Phil sighed deeply and went to the break room, baby Gabe safely in his arms and a bit of his chest hair safely in Gabe's tiny fist.

After freeing himself from Gabe's iron fist, he put the baby on the table and sat down so that they were face to face and so that it was easier for Phil to hold him. 

"Please tell me that I just didn't spit-talk her!", Phil whined and placed his face on the table. "She was so... So... And I was so... And I... I... Oh gaaaawd... I thought I wouldn't see her ever again! And then, there she is! And I... I... Fuck it all up."

After a short silence, Phil felt a sudden tug on his hair. And then a pull.

"Whoa!", Phil looked up to a blindingly bright smiling Gabe, A smile more gums than baby teeth, and he suddenly felt at ease. But that didn't last long. Because Gabe was now pulling at Phil's hair in earnest.

"Hey, buddy. Easy there. It's not like I have such thick hair that I could spare any- Ow!" Phil gently freed his hair from the small fists and looked at the irritated baby. "I guess you are right, my friend. I shouldn't sit here and brood about it. How about I put you to bed for your nap and make you some of my baby-friendly, low on sugar cookies?"

As he noticed that baby Gäbe was already aiming for his head again, he swiftly picked him up and carried him to his office, where the stroller and the baby monitor waited for them. After checking Gabe 's diaper, he placed the baby in the stroller and his musical stuffed elephant played a soft lullaby, Phil turned on the baby monitor and went to his bakery. He had the strong urge to knead some dough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes a story/chapter tells me: "This is it. My ending." So I end it at that point. This end was one of these points. :)


	8. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Curiosity is bliss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, wow. Back again. In the same week. I'm shocked. XD  
> Nah, to be honest, the chapter was burning under my nails (sounds weird? It's a German saying, no idea if you have something equal in English ^^).   
> It was a lot easier to write than the last chapter, so I'm quite happy with it. :)
> 
> I hope you will enjoy it as well. <3

Melinda felt watched. And it wasn't a feeling she particularly enjoyed. After years of working for the CIA in countless different missions in even more foreign countries, the feeling of being watched made her... uneasy. No, that was an understatement. It made her paranoid.

But this wasn't a mission. This was a coffee shop. When she recalled this fact, she looked slowly up and tried to check her surroundings discreetly. The busyness of the coffee shop had died down a bit, since everybody was contentedly sitting on their tables and digging into their cakes, cookies, pies and other baked goods. Melinda let her gaze wander over the costumers until she noticed an unusual movement in the corner of her left eye. She immediately snapped her head in said direction and saw two dark-haired heads disappearing under the table. Huh.

On the table sat a tall and handsome young man surrounded by books and papers. From what Melinda could identify, it looked like college books. Engineering, if she had to guess. 

The young man must have felt her gaze and send her a huge smile. He then knocked softly on the table and said: "It's over you little spies. You have been found out."

After some time, Melinda watched the two dark-haired kids crawl out from under the table.

"Mack! Why did you rat us out?! She would have never noticed if you hadn't said anything!" 

Melinda immediately recoginized Phil's daughter Daisy and grinned. The other one was the little boy who formerly sat at the counter and had recommended her the superdelicious SuperChoc cake, Robbie. 

While Daisy made wild and exaggerating gestures at the young man called Mack, Robbie eyed Melinda intensely. Melinda stared back less intense, but definitely amused, as she took another fork full of her cake.

Robbie seemed to be weighing his words, which was an interesting contrast to the more hot blooded Daisy.

"Did he really spit on you?"

Maybe Melinda was wrong and the boy didn't weigh his words that thoughtfully. 

She didn't seem to be the only one who thought so, since she could see Daisy, who stood with her back to Melinda, freeze in shock as Robbie's words kicked in. Even Mack raised both eyebrows and watched in interest how Daisy turned around in slower than slow motion.

Melinda was still chewing, as the three of them waited for her answer. If she wouldn't have been chewing, she would have probably thrown a laughing fit when she saw Daisy's shocked expression. The little girl almost looked like a cartoon character who was about to be hit by an anvil. It was priceless. That's why Melinda definitely took more time than she needed to chew.

"Well..."

"Well...?", Robbie looked more interested than before now, but his "big eyes" were nothing compared to Daisy's.

"Well... There was definitely spit involved." 

At that, Mack's eyebrows went even higher than Melinda thought that it was humanly possible, Robbie's face showed signs of shock and a little disgust, while Daisy went absolutely pale. 

If snickering would have been something Melinda May did, she would have definitely snickered. But she took pity on those three and added: "there was spitting involved, but it didn't hit me."

Three pairs of shoulders immediately sunk in relief, two broad shoulders and four smaller ones. 

"Really?!", after the blood returned to Daisy's face and she stepped into Melinda's personal space, took Melinda's hand in hers, and asked again: "Really?"

Melinda smiled at her and nodded. 

The little girl let out a sigh and pushed one of the empty chairs at Melinda's table away only to let her little body fall onto it heavily. Robbie only shrugged and took one of the remaining chairs and joined the two. Mack, meanwhile, seemed to be content with the outcome of the situation and devoted himself to his schoolwork again.

"Whoa. I'm so relieved. You have no idea. I seriously thought he fucked up again."

Robbie snorted at that and added: "We all thought that."

Melinda raised her eyebrows at that.

Robbie noticed her surprise: "Don't get us wrong, Phil's a cool guy, but he tends to be ... let's say... clumsy, when it comes to certain things."

Now it was Daisy's turn to snort. "You are downplaying it. Dad manuevers himself into the biggest messes sometimes."

"And he's fast while doing so."

These two children seemed to be a lot older than their short sizes implied. "And where is he now?"

Daisy, who's interest seemed to have switched to Melinda's cake now, looked up at the woman and shrugged, but Robbie spoke up: "He probably put Gabe down for his nap. Gabe's my little brother, you know? The baby, who was trying to eat Phil's shirt, when you two talked."

"Well, I figured." Melinda's eyes followed Daisy, who had sneaked off to Mack's table in the meantime. 

"Yeah, but only because I pushed you onto it." Damn, that boy was sharp. 

While Melinda and Robbie tried to stare each other to death, Daisy returned and pulled Melinda's plate into the middle of the zable and took a fork full of The SuperChoc.

"Did you just steal that fork from that young man over there?" Melinda was seriously curious and more amused than irritated about the fact that an allegedly strange child was digging wholeheartedly into her cake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you had fun reading this!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed my fic!


End file.
